12-27-2002, 02:15 AM
[cool] I don't know what the current situation is, or whether they have a receiver at Avalon. Unless you are dead set on fishing bait, however, I'm going to suggest that you might possibly catch more and bigger fish on artificials in many cases. One notable difference is squid. When those babies are making babies, the white seabass, yellowtail and calicos get pretty picky about eating anything but live squid. You can sometimes jig some up if you have sonar on your unit and can locate a school. A shiny sinker with a treble hook, and a few jigs above it will not only put some squid in your bait holder, but some "brown baits" for big calicos too.
If you can't get live bait, pitch some big plastics with a strip of fresh frozen squid. That will catch almost anything around the island. But, I'll tell you, if you bring nothing but what you would throw for the bass in the So Cal lakes, you can wear you arm out. Shad imitating crank baits, jerk baits, plastic swim baits, spoons. It all works. The only difference is that in salt water a two pound calico can trash your rod or break your 10# line. Tie them tail to tail with a largie of the same size and the calico will drag the scales off the freshwater contender.
I live in Phoenix these days, and I really miss the island...and the whole coast. I've tubed from about the middle of Baja to about the middle of Oregon. There's still a lot of spots that need my attention, but since I have discovered the Sea of Cortez over here, I will make do.
Imagine a dawn launch, off a smooth white sand beach. Air temp 80 degrees. Water temp 85 degrees. No waders. No surf. Water is absolutely calm and crystal clear.
You sit back in the kick boat, make about ten or twelve good kicks, turn around and begin catching fish. It is not uncommon to catch fifty fish in a row...representing twenty or more species. Using medium spinning gear and medium to medium heavy baitcasting...eight or ten pound line...most of the fish will average one to three pounds. On an average day you will hook several five to ten pounders and some you never see. The either dive into the rocks or decide to visit relatives on the other side of the Gulf.
Yeah, I miss Catalina...but I don't lose any sleep over it. By the way, have you ever tried drifting whole squid at night in Newport's back bay for sharks and rays? A bodacious bat ray will definitely make your string sing and tow you against a flowing tide. What, me crazy?
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If you can't get live bait, pitch some big plastics with a strip of fresh frozen squid. That will catch almost anything around the island. But, I'll tell you, if you bring nothing but what you would throw for the bass in the So Cal lakes, you can wear you arm out. Shad imitating crank baits, jerk baits, plastic swim baits, spoons. It all works. The only difference is that in salt water a two pound calico can trash your rod or break your 10# line. Tie them tail to tail with a largie of the same size and the calico will drag the scales off the freshwater contender.
I live in Phoenix these days, and I really miss the island...and the whole coast. I've tubed from about the middle of Baja to about the middle of Oregon. There's still a lot of spots that need my attention, but since I have discovered the Sea of Cortez over here, I will make do.
Imagine a dawn launch, off a smooth white sand beach. Air temp 80 degrees. Water temp 85 degrees. No waders. No surf. Water is absolutely calm and crystal clear.
You sit back in the kick boat, make about ten or twelve good kicks, turn around and begin catching fish. It is not uncommon to catch fifty fish in a row...representing twenty or more species. Using medium spinning gear and medium to medium heavy baitcasting...eight or ten pound line...most of the fish will average one to three pounds. On an average day you will hook several five to ten pounders and some you never see. The either dive into the rocks or decide to visit relatives on the other side of the Gulf.
Yeah, I miss Catalina...but I don't lose any sleep over it. By the way, have you ever tried drifting whole squid at night in Newport's back bay for sharks and rays? A bodacious bat ray will definitely make your string sing and tow you against a flowing tide. What, me crazy?
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